Commercial Appeal

Infant dies after being left in car
August 9, 2004

(Bartlett, TN) An 8 month girl died today after being left in a personal vehicle in the parking lot of Central North Church in Bartlett.

Police are investigating the incident. But initial reports from both authorities and church officials indicate the baby was left in the blue sedan about two hours.

The father, an employee of the church, had come to work about 11:20 a.m. and was running late for a Monday morning staff meeting. Rev. John Latimer, the church's pastor, said about 1:30 p.m. he saw the man run back to the parking lot. When the father returned, he had the infant in his arms and was screaming for officials to call 911.

Bartlett police chief Don Wray said the baby was properly strapped in a child seat in the back of the car.
Latimer said church employees tried to give the baby water and poured water on the infant in attempts to cool her down while he ran up on the hill near Yale and Bartlett Boulevard to direct arriving paramedics to the location.

The pastor said while the infant was enrolled in the church's Sonshine Learning Center, the baby was never removed from the car and taken into the center. Officials said the nursery does not transport students. The infant was taken to Methodist North Hospital and died later.